Movies in the Park

   All of the sudden it is Summer in Nashville, which means hot weather and free events that feature great food all over the city. We took advatage of one of these free events by going to opening night of The Nashville Scene's Movies in the Park to see 500 days of Summer (different family friendly movie showing each week) and visit some Food trucks we have been dying to try.

  We arrived at Centennial Park early, even though the movie doesn't actually start until Sunset which happened to be about 8 pm that particular night, in order to secure a good spot for the movie and hit up the food trucks before the crowd arrived. There were numerous vendors to choose from, with everything from the Grilled Cheeserie to Joe's Crab Shack and everything in between so we set out with $40 cash to try as much as possible.

    We started with the Grilled Cheeserie, a food truck that has taken Nashville by storm. I know you are thinking "it's just a grilled cheese sandwich" and not exactly on the culinary forefront, but I would just tell you to go taste what they serve and then see what you think. The Grilled Cheeserie has an extensive menu with specialty grilled cheese sandwiches and build your own options. I opted for the classic American on Wheat ($4) while Cole ventured into the unknown with the "Tomato Two Times Melt" which featured a fresh Pesto Marinated Mozzarella Cheese and Italian Blend Cheese on Italian Herb Bread with Basil Kumata Tomatoes and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes ($7). We also shared an order of the Tator Tots with House Seasoning ($2) and one of their Watermelon slices marinated in Lime and Agave seasoning ($1.50). I ordered an old fashioned bottle of Crush which took my grilled cheese journey back into childhood to the next level.  Still think it's just a grilled cheese sandwich?

   Then it was time for the Sweet Stuff. We started with Chilly Pops, an all natural popsicle with a variety of fruit and vegetable flavors. Each popsicle is only 23 calories and with no additives they are a very healthy option. Peggy Bartosh, the mastermind behind Chilly Pops, even uses seeds and rinds from her ingredients to add in that extra bit of nutrients and flavor. Cole and I shared a Strawberry Kiwi Paleta ($2.50) which was incredibly refreshing on this hot afternoon and not at all sweet as we had incorrectly assumed.

   Next we headed for the Fleur De Lis Flavors a New Orleans style Snowball truck that I previously mentioned in my Farmer's Market post. Let me just say, they were well worth the wait. These were the most delicious snowballs (like Icees but a lighter texture) I have ever had and the family that owns and runs the business could not have been sweeter (their boys are pictured below). I order the Strawberry Cheesecake ($3) and they talked me in to adding the Condensed milk ($.50) which I was hesitant about but trusted the experts and did. I was so glad I added it because it provided a cream like flavor and texture that made the Strawberry Cheesecake Snowball, in my opinion, unbeatable. Cole ordered the Tiger's Blood which was Strawberry and Coconut and while I am usually not a fan of Coconut flavor, I loved it as well! Brent was with us too and went for the Dreamsicle which he said tasted like an old fashioned Dreamsicle, just better!

   Movies in the park was a lot of fun and a great date night idea but the best part was definitely the food! You can catch all of these amazing food trucks all over Nashville by following them on Twitter, Facebook, and their websites or in Fleur De Lis's case, at the Farmer's Market.

Ratings for Movies in the Park: (Scale 1-10)
Happy Hour - 0 - No Happy Hour Specials

Taste - 9
Ambiance - 6
Overall - 6

Cheers!